INDUSTRY NEWS
The 2026 Gold Medal finalists are:
Class I( population 400,001 and over) Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, Baltimore, MD Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation, Tampa, FL Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation, Lake Worth, FL The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Riverdale, MD
Class II( population 150,001 – 400,000) City of Henderson Parks and Recreation, Henderson, NV Gilbert Parks and Recreation, Gilbert, AZ Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Division of Parks and Recreation, Lexington, KY Roseville Parks, Recreation & Libraries, Roseville, CA
Class III( population 75,001 – 150,000) Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation, Carmel, IN City of Allen Parks and Recreation, Allen, TX Lee’ s Summit Parks and Recreation, Lee’ s Summit, MO Mansfield Parks and Recreation, Mansfield, TX
Class IV( population 30,001 – 75,000) City of Kettering Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts,
Kettering, OH City of Rockville Department of Recreation and Parks,
Rockville, MD Glenview Park District, Glenview, IL Willamalane Park and Recreation District, Springfield, OR
Class V( population less than 30,000) Glencoe Park District, Glencoe, IL Itasca Park District, Itasca, IL Los Alamos County Community Services Department,
Los Alamos, NM Valley City Parks and Recreation District, Valley City, ND
Armed Forces Recreation( Worldwide) MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, FL USAG Fort Bragg, Fort Bragg, NC USAG Fort Campbell, Fort Campbell, KY USAG Fort Knox, Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation, Fort Knox, KY
Finalists compete for Grand Plaque Award, with recipients announced at the 2026 NRPA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, September 30.
Equip Expo expands 2026 Women’ s Leadership programming
Equip Exposition announced its 2026 programming dedicated to women in the green industry. The show’ s popular Women’ s Leadership Reception will feature media trailblazer Susan Packard, as well as Judith Guido, who is recognized as one of the highest-ranking women in the green industry. The event, sponsored by Belgard, SiteOne and Hunter FX / Luminaire, will take place October 22 at 4 p. m.
“ Our women’ s programming offers a valuable opportunity to expand your network while engaging with influential women who are shaping and transforming the industry,” said Kris Kiser, President and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute( OPEI), the international trade association that owns and manages the trade show.
Packard, a media entrepreneur who helped create popular TV channels like HGTV, CNBC and Food Network, is one of the speakers for the Women’ s Leadership Reception.“ I will be sharing the one factor that makes all the difference for employees to be happy at work, with stories and examples from creating HGTV, one of the fastest-growing programming networks in history,” said Packard.
Fellow keynote speaker Judith Guido has spent her career building leading green industry companies, including taking one public on the NYSE.“ Susan and I have both built executive careers in male dominated industries by delivering results and leading with resilience,” Guido said.“ We’ re passionate about and committed to helping women build careers and lives they never thought possible— through education, bold ideas, strong relationships, and smart problem solving— and we’ re excited to share our insights, experiences and what it takes to grow, lead and win in business and the green industry.”
Previous participants consistently rank the Women’ s Leadership Reception as a must-attend experience.
“ In a male-dominated industry, there’ s something powerful about a room where women can sit across from each other and understand the struggle without saying a word,” said Sara Hey, president of Bob Clements International.“ You don’ t have to explain the context. You don’ t have to translate. You just get to be in it together, learn from each other, and leave with a network of women who actually know what your day-to-day looks like. If you’ re coming to Equip, don’ t miss this one.”
For more about the Women’ s Leadership Reception watch: https:/ youtu. be / xZV-MzX6 _ mo. sportsfieldmanagementonline. com June 2026 | SportsField Management
39